After the craziness of BEA, I needed to relax. Which, for me, means having an adventure. A non-writing-related adventure, I suppose—because BEA was certainly an adventure in its own way.

Since no abandoned/haunted houses have recently popped up in Vegas (at least, none that I know of—and if someone reading this has heard of one, please send me a message) I settled for a desert exploration adventure.

And it was good timing, because we have some new weirdness in the Mojave.

Seventeen-year-old Ruby is a fireblood who must hide her powers of heat and flame from the cruel frostblood ruling class that wants to destroy all that are left of her kind. So when her mother is killed for protecting her and rebel frostbloods demand her help to kill their rampaging king, she agrees.

I guess winter is over. Despite it being February, we’re having 80 degree days.

I’m really not ready to pack up my winter clothes. I hardly even got a chance to wear boots this year! But if we’re going to have gorgeous spring weather, I might as well take advantage of it. (Especially considering that a month from now, it’ll probably be too hot to leave the house. Sigh.)

So, the first hike of the season. Corn Creek (Desert National Wildlife Range):

Trixie Watson has two very important goals for senior year: to finally save enough to buy the set of Doctor Who figurines at the local comic books store, and to place third in her class and knock Ben West--and his horrendous new mustache that he spent all summer growing--down to number four.